New Delhi/Hyderabad: Amid pressure from various quarters for an early decision on Telangana issue, government on Saturday said more consultations with various parties are needed on the contentious statehood demand and the exercise would take "some time" to end.

Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Infrastructure and Investment Minister, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, resigned from the Cabinet as well as the state Assembly this evening.

Komatireddy, who had set September 30 as the deadline for the Centre to come out with a statement on creation of Telangana state, met Governor E S L Narasimhan and submitted his resignation from the Kiran Kumar Reddy government.

The Telangana statehood demand, which has divided Congress in Andhra Pradesh on regional lines, was deliberated at the party's Core Group meeting on Friday which also discussed a report submitted by Azad based on his interactions with party lawmakers from the state.

"We are in the process of consultations. On Friday, we discussed it in the Core Group. Today also, some of my (colleagues) discussed it with me. Further consultations would be needed. We are in the process of it," Mukherjee told reporters after the meeting.

He said government was "fully aware" of the gravity of the situation and the agitation which has paralysed life in all the 10 districts of Telangana region, including state capital Hyderabad.

"Therefore, we will have to go for more consultations that will take some time," he said.

The meeting took place as TRS chief K Chandrasekhar Rao arrived here to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and other leaders to demand an early solution to the statehood issue.

Azad said his consultations lasted two months and it is not an easy decision to be taken. "Whatever the decision or resolution, it will take time. We need to take everybody on board. More discussions are needed in this regard with some senior leaders at the national level of some parties and also with some at the state level. This is the progress at the moment," Azad said.

"Consultations are required and one step will overtake another. One step is over now and the next will start. This will take sometime," he said.

Congress is caught in a tricky situation in Andhra Pradesh with Telangana region observing an indefinite bandh over the issue of separate statehood, a demand being opposed by the party in coastal Andhra and Rayalseema regions of the state.

Party leaders from Telangana are camping here for the last few days to press for the demand of separate statehood.

The Congress high command had in July asked Azad to hold consultations with leaders from Telangana, Rayalseema and coastal Andhra regions on the issue and elicit their views.

Azad has been receiving delegations of ministers, MPs and MLAs from all the three regions since July and concluded the process on Wednesday.

During the interactions, the leaders, who are divided deeply along regional lines, had stuck to their known stands.

CPM for urgent decision on Telangana

Expressing concern over the situation in Andhra Pradesh following the Telangana agitation, CPI(M) on Saturday asked the government to take an urgent decision on the issue saying there was no need for any more consultation with political parties.

"Procrastination will only worsen the situation. I would urge you to see that a decision is taken on the matter without any further delay," CPI(M) General Secretary Prakash Karat said in a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.

"All political parties and various sections of society in Andhra Pradesh had submitted their views to the Sri Krishna Committee. Hence, there is no need for further consultations with political parties," he said.

Maintaining that the Telangana region of the state has been "paralysed" by the agitation over the past three weeks, Karat said it was nine months now since the Committee submitted its report on Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.

The party maintains that while it would fight for the development of backward regions, it would adhere to "the principled position of opposition to the division of linguistic states."